Deputy PM denies reports on proposed farmers' meeting with IMF

[3/7/2018 2:43:55 PM]

AMMONNEWS - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Jafar Hassan on Wednesday dismissed reports that it was proposed that a local farmers committee should meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over exempting the agricultural sector from a newly-introduced 10-percent tax on production inputs.

The deputy prime minister described such reports as totally unfounded. Today, local media outlets reported that it was proposed, during a meeting the government held yesterday with the Lower House's committee on agriculture and water and sector's stakeholders, to arrange a meeting with the IMF to look into scrapping the tax.

Hassan said any decision to abolish the tax is exclusive to the Jordanian Government and that the IMF has no mandate whatsoever in this regard. He added that the remarks, attributed to some of those who attended the meeting, don't, in any way, reflect the government's official position.

He indicated that the minutes of the meeting were recorded and any one can access them to ascertain the veracity of such information.